India's passenger trains are notorious for being rickety and spartan, but the government is hoping to change all that with a new 'luxury' service.
The popular image of rail travel in the country of 1.2 billion people is of hundreds of people crammed into carriages, perching on roofs and hanging off the sides
But with its reclining seats and 'in-rail' entertainment featuring Bollywood movies, the Tejas Express may be getting the country on a different track.
Railway officials are billing the service, which runs between Mumbai and the tourist state of Goa, as India's first luxury, yet affordable train.
Tejas Express offers reclining seats with individual screens showing Bollywood movies and music videos
Tickets in second class cost around 1,190 rupees ($18) while in first class the price is in the range of 2,590 rupees.
That is around 20 percent more than a regular train on the same route, depending on when tickets are bought, but cheaper than the average flight.
The Tejas Express takes eight and half hours to reach Goa, only marginally quicker than regular services.
It is capable of reaching speeds of 200 kmh (124 mph) but rarely will due to speed restrictions on the line.
The train is scheduled to run five times a week, apart from during India's four-month summer monsoon when it will go down to just three services.
No comments:
Post a Comment